Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease in a HIV-infected intravenous drug abuser

Abstract

Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) is a rare cause of pulmonary hypertension. Its origin remains unknown but in some cases a viral aetiology has been suggested. Recently primary pulmonary hypertension has been increasingly observed in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, but only one case of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease has so far been described. We report the case of a 27 year old male intravenous drug abuser with HIV infection and pulmonary hypertension. Open lung biopsy led to the diagnosis of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease. This second case of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease raises the question of a relationship between HIV infection and lesions involving the pulmonary veins. However, the pathogenesis of vascular changes remains to be elucidated.